Apple Proposes $95M Payout to Settle Siri 'Eavesdropping' Case
Apple has agreed to pay $95M to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that its devices surreptitiously listened to users through the virtual-assistant tool, Siri, thereby violating users' policy agreements.
Facts
- Apple has agreed to pay $95M to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that its devices surreptitiously listened to users through the virtual-assistant tool, Siri, thereby violating users' policy agreements.[1]
- The lawsuit alleged that the tech giant recorded users without activation of the trigger words "Hey, Siri," and further claimed that these recordings were then shared with advertisers in an attempt to market goods and services that users were more likely to be interested in.[2]
- Making the proposed settlement at a US federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, Apple did not acknowledge any wrongdoing.[3]
- The terms of the deal must also be approved by US District Judge Jeffrey White before payment can proceed and the case can formally be considered settled.[3]
- If approved, lawyers for the plaintiffs are expected to take in roughly $30M in fees and expenses. The remaining sum would go to eligible consumers in the US who owned Siri-enabled Apple devices from Sept. 17, 2014, to the end of last year.[2][4]
- However, according to estimates included in court documentation, only 3-5% of eligible consumers are expected to file a claim, meaning users could be awarded $20 for each device. Claims are limited to five devices per person.[2][5]
Sources: [1]Verge, [2]Associated Press, [3]New York Post, [4]BBC News and [5]CNN.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by BBC News. Proposing to settle does not mean Apple has been guilty of illegally recording users; the company is simply choosing to resolve the matter outside of court to avoid further speculative headlines and risk the costs involved in the case spiraling out of control.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by New York Post. Apple's proposed payout of $95M may seem gigantic, but merely reflects the profits made by the company every nine hours. If Apple is guilty of the allegations made in this lawsuit, it ought to be making a much larger payment.
